Another Wind Blows
by Kurama46
Summary: After 20 years, the Holy Grail War once again descends upon Fuyuki City. With a new cast of Masters and Servants, who shall emerge victorious? Oc-centric but characters from canon will make appearances and factor into the plot. Rated M for general themes inherent in the Nasuverse.


Author's Note: Hello readers, and welcome to my first story. I have little experience in writing stories so criticism is welcome and encouraged. Also, some of you may note discrepancies in the time-line or plot. While many of these will be explained as the story progresses, feel free to point any that you see out to me in case I missed something. Finally, I hope that all of you enjoy my contribution to our beloved community.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fate/Stay Night. The only things I do own are the plot and original characters in this story.

* * *

Kyrie stood rigidly before the leader of the Einzbern clan. Jubstacheit was an old man, having lived for more than two hundred years, but despite his age his gaze was still sharp and his body still strong. He sat behind his desk, calmly working on some paperwork as Kyrie stood silently. It had been 17 years since the Einzbern clan had taken the boy in and the results had been mixed. The boy's magecraft was just so...different from anything else that currently existed in the world. Where commonly accepted magecraft created Kyrie's destroyed, and where others destroyed he created.

The ancient magus shook his head. How much they had learned about alchemy from taking the boy in was irrelevant. Now he represented a chance that had been thought lost to the Einzbern clan with the loss of their last homunculus.

Looking up at the boy he examined him. Kyrie had grown to be a youth of average height, with brown eyes that matched his hair and concealed the boy's keen intellect behind a wall of suspicion. An emotion that Jubstacheit knew he deserved from the boy. "Tell me Kyrie, how much do you know about the Holy Grail War?"

Kyrie stiffened for an instant before forcing himself to relax. "What do you mean sir? I only know the basics from my tutors and that was years ago."

Jubstacheit's eyes narrowed slightly and his voice took on a reproving tone. "Do you think I wasn't aware of your midnight readings the past few weeks? Little escapes my notice on these grounds and your actions are among those I monitor closely. Now dispense with the evasion and tell me, how much did you learn?"

After a moment of hesitation Kyrie answered carefully, "The Holy Grail War is a ritual that was designed by the Tohsaka, Einzbern and Makiri clans. Seven spirits of heroes from across space and time are summoned and bound to seven individuals selected by the Grail. These masters and their servants then fight until only one remains. The survivor is granted one wish from the Grail. That's the gist of it anyway. Would you like me to go into the specifics or will that suffice?"

With a shake of his head the elder replied. " No, that is enough. There are signs that the war will be returning soon, and we _will_ win this time. Your interest in the war makes matters easier. It will be your task to accompany Rosalinde to Fuyuki City and assist her in whatever way necessary. Understood?"

Kyrie scowled but nodded. He didn't like the idea of working with the arrogant Einzbern, but he had little choice. After all, they had given him food, shelter and training after his family had died. True, this was largely self-serving due to their desire to study his family's magecraft, but that didn't change that he owed them for his life. And there was no way he could convince Rosalinde, or any other magus, to give up their wish for his. So he may as well help the Einzberns with their goal. "Yes sir. I'll make sure that the Einzbern clan receives their wish."

"See that you do. There will be great rewards for you if you show your loyalty to our clan, and terrible punishments if you betray us." With this statement Jubstacheit closed his eyes, wordlessly dismissing Kyrie from his presence.

* * *

As always when Kyrie wanted to think, he found himself drawn to the chapel inside the mansion. It was a serene place, with light streaming in through the stained glass windows. And best of all, few entered it these days. Something about an event that took place in it many years ago. That said, there were some others who found the serenity as enjoyable as he did.

"Kyri! I knew I'd find you here!"

Turning, Kyrie grinned. "Hey there Asta, what's up?"

The small girl beamed back at him, her red eyes shining. "I was able to transmute lead into gold today! The efficiency wasn't very good but I still did it!"

Kyrie couldn't help but laugh. Such an act of magecraft was far beyond the abilities of most of the Einzbern, but Asta wasn't an ordinary magus. While she appeared to be about nine or ten years old, she had actually only been alive for about three years. The disparity was due to her nature as a homunculus, one of the best to have been made in years, and her talent in the Einzbern's magecraft reflected this. "Wow, that's amazing. Soon you're gonna be toppling national economies huh?"

She made a face at this, replying "You know that's against the rules Kyri. Besides, we're not allowed to leave the grounds."

A cough escaped Kyrie as he felt a stab of guilt. Asta had never left the Einzbern's lands. The clan was a reclusive one and few of its members got permission to leave. Kyrie and Rosalinde would be the first since he had been brought there as an infant and Asta had always wanted to see the outside world. Besides, he was about the only person in the mansion she could talk to without being treated as just a tool. "Look, Asta, there's something I need to tell you. I was just talking to Jubsacheit and-" He broke off as her face turned pale and her eyes became huge. The ominous feeling he had was proven correct when a voice came from behind him.

"Ah, there you are Kyrie. I've finished arranging for our passage to Fuyuki. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning so be sure you've finished packing before then."

Kyrie closed his eyes as the scion of the Einzbern clan spoke. _Perfect timing as always Rosalinde._ As he turned and saw the girl whom he'd be serving for however long the War lasted he was reminded of how little he liked her. True, she was pretty. Beautiful even, with her long blonde hair and sky blue eyes, but Kyrie could never get past the slight curl of her lip when she spoke to others, or how she arched her brow whenever someone said anything she disagreed with. And most of all he hated how she, and the other Einzberns, treated Asta as a nonentity. There were so few people who could see past her nature as a homunculus to the little girl that she was and among those he was the only one who had the time and inclination to play with her. Gritting his teeth he replied, "I will take care of it Rosalinde. Now if you'll excuse me I was having a conversation, which you just interrupted." Turning to face Asta again he ignored the angry sputters behind him. He could deal with Rosalinde later, but Asta...

Oh no. Her lip was quivering. This was very very bad.

Sniffling a little, Asta asked "You're leaving? Tomorrow?"

_Okay Kyrie, time for damage control._ "So it would seem. I just found out about it from Jubstsacheit myself. And before you ask no, I don't know when I'll be back." _Or if I'll be back_. Crouching down so he could look her in the eye he continued. "Look, I know it's going to be hard but I need you to be strong okay? Be yourself and don't let anyone make you do anything you don't want to."

Asta swallowed hard and nodded, hesitating for a moment before flinging her arms around his neck. "I'll miss you Kyri."

Feeling a lump in his own throat Kyrie returned the hug and whispered back "Yeah, I'll miss you too Asta." Untangling her grip he stood up and forced a grin to his face. "Stay out of trouble okay?" He didn't wait for her to nod before he set off for his rooms. That way she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.

* * *

The inside of the plane was silent save for the humming of the engine. Kyrie had been alternating between looking out the window and practicing his memory partitioning, one of the basic alchemical abilities. While he thought the number he could create was probably fine he still had problems using it in combat situations, and starting it in such conditions would likely get him killed due to the jarring effect it had on him. However, there was only so much one could do while sitting in a private jet with a haughty girl who kept staring at him dully. Finally, after several hours of the routine, Kyrie sighed and asked "Alright, I'll bite. What is it?"

Rosalinde continued looking at him for a moment before turning away. Quietly, she asked "Can I trust you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She turned back to face him again and replied "Can I trust you? It isn't a secret that you don't approve of how my family does things, and I know you don't like me personally. Can you blame me for doubting your intentions?"

Kyrie shook his head. "Not really I guess. I'd probably be suspicious in your place too. But my opinions about you or your family don't matter. I owe all of you my life and I intend to repay that debt."

Rosalinde kept staring at him a second longer before nodding. "Alright. Just as long as we-"

She was cut off as they both suddenly let out a hiss of pain. Looking down Kyrie gaped, not believing his eyes. On the inside of his left wrist were three glowing concentric circles. Command Seals. He was a Master.

Lifting his gaze to meet Rosalinde's he saw something he'd never expected from her. Fear. She was afraid of him now that he was a Master and had a chance to obtain the Grail for himself. And with good reason. While he wanted to repay the Einzberns for giving him food and shelter as he grew up, he couldn't give up his wish for the sake of repaying that debt. "I'm not going to attack you just because I'm a Master, Rosalinde." Speaking calmly and softly, Kyrie tried to reassure her.

"But this changes things doesn't it? The Grail chooses Masters based on how much they desire it. If it chose you then you want it for yourself, not for the Einzbern."

"...Yeah, you're right. You don't have to worry though, I won't attack you until we're the last two left."

"If we last that long." Rosalinde still looked uneasy, but there wasn't much else he could do. They both had their goals and while now was the perfect time to get rid of some competition before the Servants were summoned, there was no way Rosalinde could defeat Kyrie with no preparation and Kyrie already felt guilty for betraying the Einzberns. At the very least he could give Rosalinde a fair shot.

* * *

Kyrie stepped onto the grounds that the overseer of Fuyuki had prepared for him upon his request for a place to stay during the War. She'd been surprised that he wouldn't be staying with Rosalinde, but seemed to understand without an explanation. That said, it was still odd that she'd managed to arrange for him to stay in such a place so quickly. Kyrie knew little about Japanese homes, but based on surrounding buildings this traditional-looking house seemed a bit grand. Still, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Entering the house, Kyrie discovers another oddity. Although the overseer had said that nobody was currently living there, the house was devoid of dust or dirt. Had she gotten it cleaned as well? That seemed like an unnecessary favor, but again Kyrie saw few other explanations. Carefully, he made his way through the house, stopping in the first bedroom for a moment to drop off his things, until he reached a shed at the back of the property. Even without touching the handle Kyrie could tell that it had a Bounded Field around it. So. This house had evidently hosted a magus at some point, which he supposed might explain the lack of dust. And how the overseer had acquired it so easily. It was likely that the magus had left the city until the War was over, leaving the house open until their return. How fortunate for him.

However, musings aside it was getting late and he still needed to fix some dinner and arrange to summon hi Servant. So, heading back in to the main room he considered what to make.

And narrowly avoided a wooden sword as it swung through the air where his head had been a moment before.

Rolling backwards out of instinct Kyrie came up in a defensive posture, one hand outstretched before him, the palm facing his attacker, and the other near his waist facing down. "Be warned intruder, if you do not desist this will go badly for you."

"Intruder yourself! I won't allow anyone to break into Shirou's house while he's traveling abroad! Now prepare yourself evildoer!"

Kyrie didn't even have time for a retort as he dodged another scarily well-aimed blow to his temple. "Wait wait wait wait wait. Are you an acquaintance of this house's owner?"

The older woman paused in her attack for a moment, glaring at him. "An acquaintance? How dare you! I'm Shirou's sister! Now yield before I really get angry!"

_This isn't her being angry? Oh man this is a pain._ Waving his hands in front of his face Kyrie hastily explains, "I apologize for my intrusion miss, I was told that there was nobody living here and that the owner wouldn't mind me staying here during my stay in the city. I'll just leave and inform Miss Matou that she was mistaken-"

The woman blinked. "Wait, you know Sakura-chan? Well that explains it. Shirou must've told her she could let you stay here. He always did have a tendency to let people live here without telling anyone." Apparently in a good mood now that she knew he wasn't a burglar, the woman stuck out her hand towards him. "I'm Fujimura Taiga! Pleased to meet you."

Cautiously accepting the handshake Kyrie replyed "Ah, yes. I'm Kyrie Solus. Please forgive my intrusion."

The woman, or Taiga he supposed, tucked her sword away as she nodded briskly. "Kyrie huh? Well then, if you're going to stay here you'll have to earn your keep!"

Kyrie had a foreboding feeling as a feral-seeming grin crossed her face. "Uh, yeah I suppose so. What should I do?"

Taiga pointed a finger to the kitchen and proclaimed imperiously, "Cook me dinner!"

* * *

A young girl tumbled out of the plane's small cargo hold and onto the private runway. Fixing her hair and clothes she then looked around to find the region deserted. "Great," Asta muttered irritably, "I knew I shouldn't have fallen asleep. Now I have to get to the mansion on my own." Still, the young homunculus was not one to be dependent on others and set off for the mansion in the woods. It would be a long walk, but she figured she could still make it before morning even with breaks for resting.

* * *

By the time Asta reached the forest owned by the Einzberns she was deeply regretting her decision to walk the whole way. Her legs ached from exhaustion and she had been feeling hunger pains for quite some time now. However, she continued on, her confidence bolstered by having reached the forest.

This confidence once again wavered once she realized that she had been walking in circles through the forest for the past hour or so. Suddenly feeling the weight of how much trouble she was in, Asta resorted to the only tactic she could think of.

"Hello! Anyone! Kyri, Rosa, someone find meeee!" She sat on the floor of the forest, sobbing in fear that she would starve to death in the woods until a branch snapped in the darkness. Instantly quieting her cries, Asta peered into the darkness, grabbing a small knife that she'd brought with her. "H-hello? Is that you Kyri?"

But rather than Kyrie, a young woman that looked oddly familiar stepped out of the trees. "Ah, there you are. I've been following your voice for a while now. Do you need help?"

Asta stared at her intently as she sniffled, considering why she looked familiar. "Y-yeah. I-I got lost and I need to find the mansion that's in the forest."

The woman's eyes narrowed and she asked "Is that so? And why would you need to find such a place? Nobody's lived there for a long time."

Asta blinked. "But Kyri and Rosa are living there. I wasn't supposed to know, but I overheard them talking about it before they got on the plane."

The woman let out a sigh as she put a hand to her head. "I see. Well it is true that I saw someone enter the forest, but it was only one person and I didn't realize it was a-" She broke off before looking closer at Asta. "Say, you're a homunculus aren't you?"

If the conversation thus far hadn't made Asta suspicious of this strange woman that statement certainly did. Easing away she asked "How do you know that?"

The woman smiled slightly before stepping a bit closer, giving Asta a better view of her white hair and red eyes. "Well you see, that's because I am one myself. Hello little cousin, you can call me Ilya."

* * *

Kyrie carefully finished setting up the summoning circle as he considered the evening. That...Taiga had been a handful to deal with, eating more than he thought possible for someone that size, but eventually he had filled her stomach and managed to gently shoo her out the door, though not before she had proclaimed that she would be eating there every morning and evening. Kyrie winced as he thought about how much of his funds that woman was going to consume, but if it allowed him to have access to the house without a fuss he didn't mind too much.

Stepping back, he critiqued his work. Summoning and spiritual evocation wasn't really his area, but he thought he'd done all right. Now he just had to chant the aria and hope for the best, seeing as how he didn't have a catalyst. Worst case, he got a weak Servant and had to be really clever about how they fought. But at least they'd be compatible. Stepping into the center of the circle, Kyrie closed his eyes and began to chant.

I hereby propose.

Thou shalt come under my command,

and thy sword shall control my fate.

Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,

if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me.

I hereby swear,

I am all that is good in the eternal world.

I am the disposer of evil in the eternal world.

Thou, clad with the Great Trinity,

come forth from the circle of constraint.

Guardian of the Heavens!

The circle started to glow as he chanted, growing stronger and brighter until it was blinding. Then, as he finished, the glow vanished and Kyrie was left standing alone in the circle. Confused, Kyrie tried to examine the ritual to see what went wrong but as soon as he tried to move he discovered that his legs weren't feeling cooperative and he fell.

Lying on the ground he had an excellent view of the girl's sleek black armor as she stepped into his view and looked curiously back down at him. "Are you...my Master?"


End file.
